Youth convicted for killing retired school headmistress in Delhi

New Delhi: A Delhi court has convicted a youth for strangulating his employer`s wife, a retired headmistress of a government school, here.

Additional sessions judge Rajender Kumar Shastri held guilty Deepak Devnath, hailing from Assam, saying it has "no hesitation in convicting him even if prosecution failed to prove the motive on the part of the accused" in the case.

"It is not established on record as what was motive of accused in killing his own employer (Vijay Nindra). Motive is the purpose for which an offender commits the crime. Motive is the force which impels a person to do the crime.

"It develops in the mind of offender himself. Same can be proved from the circumstances if there is direct evidence on record. No doubt motive is an ingredient of an offence but it is not always necessary to be proved on record particularly when there is other evidence enough to prove crime," the court said, adding that sentence will be pronounced later.

According to the prosecution, Deepak was employed to look after the deceased`s husband, who was in comma for last 8-9 years.

On September 9, 2011, police got the information that 65-year-old landlady Vijay Nindra, wife of Ranbir Kumar Nindra, was killed at her house in Kalkaji locality of south Delhi.

Police said during the probe, the accused admitted to his crime.

However, the counsel during the final argument had said that Deepak was employed to take care of the victim`s husband but he did not commit any such offence.

"The accused had no intention to kill the victim. He has been falsely implicated by the police simply to work out its case of murder," the counsel had said.